My son just turned 10 months old a week ago. I need some help on the switching to milk. What age sould i start? Do I just wake him up on his first birhtday and give him milk? Also i finally found a sippy cup he likes. Its the one with the straws, will that make it harder?
Hi C.,
When I switched both of my kids I started mixing half formula and half milk. I started doing that when they were about 11 months. That seemed to work for me. I hope that my advice helps you.
Hi C.~ I would first ask your pediatrician if your child is ready to switch to milk and what kind they want him on. When I made the switch, I did it gradually. I first put 1 ounce of milk in with like 4 ounces of formula and gave that to my son for a few days. then I increased it to 2 ounces of milk to 3 ounces of formula etc... If he is already drinking out of the sippy cup, I doubt what is in it will make a difference. I know that we didn't start the switch until after 1 years old. good luck
I found that the first time I gave my son milk he did not like it. However the next time I gave it to him was in the morning right when he woke up and he has been on milk ever since. It was right around his first birthday. I also used the sippy with the straw. I have found that it is easier. Besides when you forget the sippy on accident and you are at a restaurant or where ever you can just use a regular straw (or a kids cup) and he will know how to use it!
I actually just spoke with a pediatric nurse about this recently. She said it obviously wouldn't be "the second he turns one, start giving him milk" lol, because I had the same questions. If your son has tolerated solids pretty well, hasn't seemed to be allergic to foods, etc., then you can start him a little earlier than a year; if he's had problems digesting foods up to this point (ie. allergic to sweet potatoes, for instance, or juice made him sick, or something like that) then definitely wait until he's a little older, and go about the switch more gradually.
When you do start switching him over, you would mix a very small amount of cow's milk with either breast milk/formula (whichever you've been feeding him), then stick with that and see how he tolerates that for a few days, then over the next few days gradually increase the amount of cow's milk and decrease the amount of formula/breast milk until you're giving him straight cow's milk (kind of like switching a cat over to new cat food, lol). Hope this helps, and all goes well.
ask pediatrician thats what they are paid for
I started my kids (they are now 16, 15, 11) when they were 12mos on whole milk (fat for brain development) but gave it to them in the morning only for about the 1st month, then it was with breafast, lunch and dinner with water and 100% fruit juice(like juicy juice) during the day. the pediatrician reccommended not starting them on whole milk until they were at least 12mos. now we use 1% for health reasons, but when they were little like that up until my youngest was 2 they had either whole or 2%.
Usually you start at 12 months after there 1 year check up.....and I was told to do 6oz of formula to 2 ozof milk to make a 8oz bottle....wait 3 days.tomake sure there is no reaction..then do 4 oz whole milk ot 4 oz of formula etc...etc...Until you are on 8ozof whole milk...about 2-3 weeksand he should be all set on just milk
If he likes the cup then i see no problem
what I did was I talked to my son's pedi and asked when a good time was to start him on milk. His pedi said when ever I wanted to and he started drinking the milk the next day and u know what i tried to give him a bottle of formula and he will spit it out and cry untill i give him milk i think every kid is different. like one mom said it depends on if he has any food alergies and how his stomach takes it. it isnt for everyone to just go out and start one day to give their child milk lol but it is just what i did and my son loved it and hasnt had any formula (which saves me alot of $) since i first gave him milk
